Heat's Bam Adebayo answers call from mother in middle of news conference
If your mother calls your phone, drop everything and answer.
That's what Bam Adebayo did during his postgame news conference Friday after the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The two-time All-Star, who had 23 points and nine rebounds in the game, was saying how he has "a lot of respect" for Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who had 41 points, when his phone started buzzing on the table. Adebayo told the reporters to "Hold up" as he picked up the phone, answering, "Hi Mommy."
His mother, Marilyn Blount, did most of the talking as he told her, "I'm in media" and "It's all good, ma." The conversation lasted about 30 seconds before he hung up the phone smiling.
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Adebayo has a close relationship with his mother, who raised him in a trailer in North Carolina as he chased his basketball dream. He bought her a house for her birthday in 2020 shortly after signing a five-year, $163 million extension.
"Being able to reach this milestone and being able to generationally change my family's life and also take care of the people around me, it's a big deal to me," he said at the time.